Tailpiece for banjos.



B. V. KERSHNER.

TMLPIECE FOR BANJOS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-13, I915.

Patented May 9,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET] B. V. KERSHNER.

TAILPIECE FOR BANJOS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13, 1915.

ented May 9 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Pat

THE COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH co., WASHINGTON, D. c.

BENJAMIN V. KEBSHNER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TAILPIECE FOR BANJ OS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1916.

Application filed March 13, 1915. Serial No. 14,121.

To all whom it mag concern Be it known that I, BENJAMIN V. KERsH- NER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook,- State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tailpieces for Banjos, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in tail pieces for banjos.

The object of my invention is to provide a tail piece for a banjo, in which the strings can be readily secured at their proper position on the forward end thereof and retained in such a position without threading them through the tail piece.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for adjusting the tail piece, so that the forward end can be tilted up or down in respect to the head and at the same time providing means for adjusting the tail piece to the right or left to aline it up with the bridge.

A stillfurther object of my invention is to provide a simple, cheap and effective tail piece having certain details of structure and advantages hereinafter more fully described and which may be attached to any banjo of the ordinary type.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ordinary banjo, showing my improved tail piece applied thereto; Fig.2 is an enlarged perspective view of the tail piece; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of a portion of the head of the banjo taken through the tail piece; Fig. 4 is an end View with the tail piece removed; and Fig. 5 is an end view of a modified form of pivotally attaching the tail piece to the member carried by the instrument.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 represents the'ordinary banjo, the rim 2 being provided with the usual lug 3 for securing the ordinary tail piece thereto, all of which is old and needs no further description.

My improved tail piece consists of two members 4 and 5. The member 4 is the tail piece proper, while the member 5 is the means for supporting the tail piece and also the means for attaching the device to the body or rim of the banjo. The member 5 is of an L-shaped form and has at its upper end a central cut away portion 6 forming on each side the two pintle bearings 7 and 8, in which is mounted the pintle 9, carried by the tail piece, as will be hereinafter more fully described. The lower laterally turned end 5 of the member 5 is provided with an opening 10, through which the bolt 11 passes. The lug 3, as heretofore stated, is secured to the head in the usual manner and is provided with an opening 12 through which the bolt 11 passes, and thus the member 5 is free to oscillate on the bolt, the object of which will be later described.

The tail piece 4 on its lower face is provided with a reduced lug 13, which is adapted to fit within the central cut-away portion 6 of the member 5 and said reduced lug carries the pintle 9, which is loosely mounted ion the bearings 7 and 8 carried by the mem- The tail piece .4 is provided with the downwardly turned portion 15 parallel with the member 5. This downwardly turned portion 15 is provided with outwardly extending lugs 16, having at their outer ends a transverse bar 17, which, as shown, are made integral with the tail piece. The bar 17 is provided with five openings 18, corresponding with those in the forward end of the tail piece and are arranged as shown in my Patent No. 1,122,945, dated December 29, 1914, and therefore it is not necessary to describe the same, as they form no part of this invention. a

The forward end of the tail piece 4 is provided with five holes 19 for the reception of the strings of the banjo. The two holes on each side of the center hole have communicating therewith the diagonally arranged slots 19 which communicate with the forward edge of the tail piece and allow the strings to be inserted into the openings without threading them therethrough. The diagonal arrangement of the slots prevents the strings from being displaced from the opening owing to the straight pull of the string.

The lower end of the downwardly turned portion 15 of the tail piece is provided with a thumb-screw 20, which is adapted to engage the member and tilt the tail piece and to bring the strings down closer to the head and prevent the bridge. from slipping and at the same time greatly increasing the volume and tone of the banjo.

The lower end of the member 5 adjacent its vertical edges, is provided with screws 21 and 22, which engage the outer periphery of the rim 2 of the banjo. By having the screws :21 and 22 adjacent the edge of the member 5, it will be seen that, by tightening or loosening one of the thumb screws,

the member 5 will be slightly oscillated on the bolt and the tail piece carried thereby will be moved to the right or left, so that the openings in the forward end will be brought into alinement with the bridge.

In Fig. 5, the member 5 is provided with the upwardly extending central portion 24, extending between two lugs carried by the tail piece &, whereby the tail piece is pivoted to the member 5 by the pintle 9, as will be readily understood.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have produced a tail piece for banjos which can be readily applied to the ordinary banjo, and in which the forward end can be tilted downwardly toward the rim for more firmly holding the bridge in position and at the same time providing means whereby the bridge can be adjusted in alinement with the center of the neck of the instrument.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A tail piece for a stringed instrument comprising a body portion, means for connecting the body portion to an instrument, means carried by the tail piece for causing the free end thereof to move inwardly toward the instrument, and means for moving the said free end transversely to the first-mentioned movement.

2. A tail piece for stringed instruments comprising a body portion, means for con necting the body portion to an'instrument, said body portion having a downwardly turned portion extending along the side of the instrument, means for forcing the downwardly turned end away from the sides of V the instrument thereby forcing the opposite end toward the instrument, and means for moving the body portion transversely to the first-mentioned movement.

8. A tail piece for stringed instruments comprising member loosely connected to the side an instrument, a tail piece pivoted thereto, means for adjusting the tail piece to throw the forward end inwardly toward the instrument, and means for adjusting the said member for moving the tail piece transversely to the first-mentioned movement.

a. r tail piece for stringed instruments comprising a member. loosely connected to the side of an instrument, a tail piece pi"- oted thereto, a set screw carried by the tail piece and engaging the member for forcing thetail piece inwardly toward. the instrument, and set screws carried by the memher for adjusting the same at right angles to the movement of the tail piece.

A tail piece for stringed instruments comprising a member loosely connected to the side of the instrument, a tail piece pivoted thereto, aset.screw carried by the tail piece for forcing the same inwardly toward the instrument, and means for adjusting the member at right angles to the movement of the tail pieces thereon.

G. A tail piece for stringed instruments comprising a member pivotally connected to the sideof the instrument, an L-shaped tail piece pivoted to said member at the angle thereof, a thumb-screw carried by the short arm of the tail piece and engaging the member for forcing the tail piece inwardly toward the instrument, and two thumb-screws carried by the member in horizontal alinement for engaging the instrument for adj listing the member at right angles to the movement of the tail piece thereon.

7. A. tail piece for stringed instruments comprising a member having a laterally turned lower end, a bolt carried by the instrument and passing through the laterally turned end of the said member, two thumbscrews passing through the member and engaging the side of the instrument for adjusting the same on the instrument, an L- shaped tail piece pivoted to the member at its angle, and a thumb-screw passingthrough the short arm of the tail piece and engaging the member for forcing the forward end of the tail piece inwardly toward the instrument at right angles to the movement of the member.

8. A tail piece for stringed instruments comprising an L-shaped tail piece, and means for adjusting the tail piece in two directions in respect to the instrument, the forward end of the tail piece having openings with obliquely arranged slots extending therefrom to the forwardend of the tail piece.

9. A tail piece for stringed instruments comprising a body portion, means forv connecting the body portion to an instrument, means carried by the tail piece for causing the free end thereof to move inwardly toward the instrument, and means for moving the tail piece transversely to the first-mentioned movement.

I. turned portion extending along the side of 10. A tail piece for stringed instruments means for moving the body portion trans- 10 comprising a body portion, means for conversely to the first-mentioned movement. necting the body portion to an instrument, In testimony whereof, I aflix my signasaid body portion having a downwardly ture, in the presence of two witnesses.

the instrument, means for forcing the down- BENJAMIN KER'SHNER' wardly turned edge away from the side of Witnesses: the instrument, whereby the opposite end is LoUIs G. BOWMAN, forced inwardly toward the instrument, and J. V. OARLsoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

